Immortals
by zerOrange
Summary: Begin's in the summer before Harry's fourth year. Harry decides to take a new approach to his life. Tom Riddle's quest for immortality brings new players to the board. New Friends, New Enemies and New Adventures. The war is coming, but it just got a lot more complicated. Novel-length fic!
1. Chapter 1

**Immortals**

**Chapter One**

**A/N: Hi! I'd just like to take a moment to thank you for checking out this story. This story begins at summer before Harry's fourth year, but is Slightly AU from third year onward. Hopefully you'll know what I mean once you've read this chapter. I am not great with summaries, but ill give it a shot.**

**'It's the summer before Harry's fourth year. Harry decides to take a new approach to his education. Tom Riddle's quest for immortality brings new players to the board. New Friends, New Enemies and new Adventures. The war just got alot more complicated.'**

Note: This fic is rated T for now. I will not announce any pairings(you will just have to find out!), and there will be no blatant bashing of any character. This fic will contain many aspects of several genre. Action, Romance, Mystery, Adventure, You name it. This fic is will be of epic length and will span beyond the parameters of book 7. I hope you stick around for the long haul. Enjoy!

Harry jolted straight up in his bed, a scream caught in his throat. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to reign in his emotions. wiping the sweat from his face with his arm he realized that he was drenched from head to toe in sweat. He desperately tried to hold on to the memory of his nightmare. He had witnessed the death of an old muggle man. Frank Bryce as he remembered.

That was the problem with these dreams, he felt as if he knew things about the victims that he normally wouldn't. Voldemort and Wormtail had been been discussing the murder of a witch from the ministry, a murder that harry had also witnessed through his connection with the Dark Lord. This murder seemed to be a small piece of a much larger plan, and they planning to murder someone else...him.

This of course, was not a surprise, Voldemort had tried three times thus far. It was the fact that the strange connection seemed to be getting stronger that worried him. Was the connection getting stronger because Voldemort was nearby? Harry thought briefly if he should write Dumbledore about it, but he quickly decided that weird dreams weren't important enough to bother the headmaster with.

He ended his short meditation with a frustrated sigh. Getting up, he made his way over to his desk and flipped on his desk lamp. This had become a frequent occurrence for the fourteen year-old wizard. He would wake suddenly from a nightmare drenched in sweat, towel himself off, then study until it was time to start his chores.

It had started shortly after completing his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Like every year prior, it had been a year full of danger and adventure for Harry. Looking back however, he accepted that this year had been good for several reasons.

Harry had been able to meet his parents' best friends; Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Sirius, his godfather, the most wanted wizard in Britain, turned out to be innocent of his crimes, and after revealing to Harry the true identity of the man that had betrayed James and Lily Potter, had been able to narrowly escape capture and had promised to write him once he was able to find a safe place to hide out. Unfortunately the true culprit Peter Pettigrew had been able to escape as well.

Shaking his head of all thoughts of the rat. Harry looked at the clock and saw it was only four o'clock. he rose from his desk and removed a book from the loose floorboard under his bed. Harry was not allowed to have any of his school things over summer - his relatives had locked all of his magical possession in his former bedroom, the cupboard under the stairs. Anticipating their actions, was able to discreetly hide two books in his room. This particular book, _ Wand and Shield: Advanced Defensive Theory, _was given to him by his parents' other best friend. Harry had spent the better part of last year with the man and had learned a great deal from him. Harry had spent nearly every night being privately tutored by the intelligent Marauders. Remus, or Moony as he preferred Harry to call him, had taught Harry many things, but Magic was not the only topic of their discussions.

Remus had told Harry about his parents, told him stories from their childhood, he taught Harry about The Marauders.

It took nearly two months, but Harry had finally opened up to Remus about what his life had been like. Internally, Remus had been angry beyond all reasoning, but on the outside he had merely smiled sadly and promised Harry he would be there for him and teach him the things he had been denied. Remus did not disappoint.

Remus introduced and taught Harry about finances and politics, which were things he knew nothing about. He taught Harry about his place in the Wizarding World, both as The-Boy-Who-Lived, and as Heir to an Ancient and Noble House. Remus even went as far as to teach him a bit about girls. Harry laughed at the memory.

Thanks to Remus, Harry felt a lot more comfortable in his own skin. The changes were small, but to Harry, he felt like a new person. Harry was taking a more active role in his life and his education. Up until now, he had been trying to just skate by as unnoticed as possible through school, but now he realized that, thanks to his status as The-Boy-Who-Lived, he was never going to just be average and by trying to do so was only harming himself.

And so, Harry had been studying ahead. Defense Against the Dark Arts was his favorite subject, so he had decided that over the summer, he would focus on that since he enjoyed it. This particular book was fascinating to him, he already had read most of the book, and he couldn't wait to try the spells he read about.

Harry clasped his hand over his scar as a sudden pain shot through it. The pain was gone nearly as fast as it had come but it left him in a stunned state for several seconds. This was nothing new either. It seemed that every day the pain in his scar would come more frequently.

Attempting to shake off the odd headache that usually accompanied these pains, Harry decided to get washed up before he started the day's chores. He marked his place and set his book under the loose floorboard. After making sure that the board was aligned perfectly with the others, he grabbed a towel and headed for the shower.

It had been a good summer, at least better than his summers usually were. The Dursleys were terrified of his godfather. Harry knew that any mention of Sirius could immediately turn a situation in his favor. He had been able to survive Dudley's diet by eating food and sweets he had hidden under his loose floorboard. He had allot more freedom than he usually had over the summer, as long as his chores were done, he was allowed to do whatever he liked.

Harry was in the kitchen when his Aunt Petunia entered. Without looking at him she began to rummage through the pantry. "Get started squeezing some orange juice, and when you are finished, start cutting fruit."

Harry rose from his place at the table and set to work. Cooking for the Dursleys had become significantly easier since they began Dudley's diet. Instead of preparing piles of food, he would merely cut up some fruit or pop some whole-grain bread in the toaster.

It wasn't long before breakfast was served. Harry kept his face blank and silently ate his piece of grapefruit, while internally laughing at the solemn look on Dudley's face as he stared at his already empty plate.

Uncle Vernon had left early for work (Harry believed it was so he could get a better breakfast near the office.) so it was just the three of them at the table this morning. When Harry rose to gather the dishes Aunt Petunia spoke. "Listen boy, I am going to be baking cookies today and I want you to bring them to our new neighbor this afternoon. So after you finish in the garden I want you wash up and change into some acceptable clothes."

Standing at the sink, Harry glanced over his shoulder at his aunt. "When did we get a new neighbor?"

Frowning slightly Petunia responded. "He moved in yesterday; a young man in his early twenties. Doesn't seem to have a wife or children."

Harry kept his face impassive as he thought about this information. Privet Drive was a fairly quiet neighborhood, mainly occupied by families and the occasional widow. A young single man moving in was definitely out of the ordinary. "So you want me to go and spy on him for you?"

Aunt Petunia shrill voice replied. "No, freak. I want you to bring him my cookies! I am being a welcoming neighbor! and you will not let your freakishness set a bad impression, do I make myself clear?"

Harry turned back to the dishes. "If you're so worried, why don't you have Dudley do it?"

Without having to turning around Harry knew that Dudley would jump on this opportunity. "Yeah, mom. Don't send the freak, I'll do it."

Aunt Petunia's entire demeanor shifted. "That's so sweet of you Dudders! but you don't need the unnecessary temptation. Don't worry because you have been doing so well on your diet, I'll leave a couple cookies out of the batch for you." Dudley's face brightened slightly but Harry knew he was disappointed. "and besides, if this man is some sort of murderer or pervert, it is safer to send the freak first."

Harry snorted at that, he expected something like that to be the case - but he tried another attempt at getting out of the task. "I don't have any 'acceptable' clothes. Unless you want me to walk over in my school robes, all I have are Dud's cast offs."

Aunt Petunia was silent for a few moments, no doubt horrified at such a thought. Eventually she rose from the table and stomped out of the kitchen. He heard Dudley snickering from the table. "I bet she's getting the belt."

Harry finished up the last of the dishes and turned to Dudley. "Yeah your probably right Dud. I wonder what my godfather would say if I told him she was belting me again?". That was all Harry needed to say to shut him up. Dudley's face became stricken with horror and became very pale. He began to sputter something but was interrupted when Petunia re-entered the kitchen holding a folded pile of clothes.

She slammed the pile down next to him on the counter before turning to him. "You best be grateful freak."

Harry examined the clothes they were actually very nice. A couple pair of Dark blue jeans that appeared to be in different cut. a bag of brand new black undershirts, 3 tee shirts of different brands, a sports jacket, and a new pair of shoes. With no small amount of awe and surprise he asked. "You bought these for me?"

"Of course not!" she replied indignantly. "These were given to use by a family on Magnolia Crescent who saw you walking around in rags." Petunia's face grown red at the apparently embarrassing memory. "They had assumed we were very poor! I, of course told them that you were merely a slob who refused to wear the decent clothing we bought you!"

Harry laughed at this. Of course she would have told these people that. His aunt had weaved together an image that Harry was a hoodlum, a slob, a hooligan and borderline criminal who that had 'graciously' tried to raise as one own their own children. Most people in his old school and the neighborhood had believed the tales, and that he attended a corrections school for criminal teens. Harry felt extremely dumb for assuming for even a second that his relatives had actually bought him decent clothes. "So why do you take them, if I would 'refuse' to wear them?"

"We hoped Dudders would fit in them eventually." she replied promptly as if it was a completely reasonable reason.

Harry snorted at the mere thought. Glancing at his aunt he bowed his head respectively. "Thank you Aunt Petunia". He figured he should at least be thankful for the new clothes, even though they were more for her benefit than his own.

"Yes, yes." she said grumpily. "You just take care of them. Those are the only new clothes that you will get! and you are only to wear them when I saw you are allowed!"

Harry sighed exasperatedly and went upstairs to put his clothing away. Harry did his chores quickly and efficiently only really slowing down when he stepped into the garden. This was one of his few pleasures at Privet Drive. As much his Aunt bragged about 'her prized garden', Harry considered it his own(As he was the only one who took care of it.). There was just something about taking care of his garden that filled him with joy. When neighbors complimented his aunt on 'her' garden it filled him with a silent pride. Little did they know that many of the plants were magical in origin. His friend, Neville, had sent him several seeds that would provide him with useful potion ingredients so that he could start his own potions reserve. The various assortments of plants were very nice vibrant and relatively normal looking, so nobody noticed that they were out of the ordinary.

It didn't seem like very long before he was finished tending to the garden and he was trying on his new clothes. Checking himself out he had to admit, it felt good to wear nice clothes. They didn't feel fancy or feel like his school robes - they just felt right. He felt like he didn't have the weight of his upbringing weighing down on him. It was amazing what a change of clothes could do for a person.

Harry made his way downstairs into the kitchen where his aunt was wrapping a platter of cookies with plastic wrap. Dudley was seated at the table with a plate in front of him. Harry noticed that he was picking cookie crumbs off his plate as if he was performing a delicate surgery. He was about to ask if he could get this errand over with when his aunt hurriedly brought the platter over to him and began giving him instructions. "Take this across the street, be sure to introduce yourself respectfully. Tell him these are from me. Do. Not. let slip any of your freakishness. Find out his name and anything else about him. Do. Not. Talk. About. Yourself. Do I make myself clear?" Petunia said in what Harry supposed was supposed to be an intimidating tone. He nodded and made his way outside.

Number Five privet drive was a carbon copy of Number Four, every house on privet drive was exactly the same, but as Harry approached the door he noticed something was...slightly off about the house. He couldn't quite place it but there was something different about this house; something that he didn't notice before today. He shrugged the feeling off as he knocked on the door.

The door swung open revealing a young man dressed casually in jeans and muscle shirt. The man was fairly tall and well built with cleanly cut brown hair and brown-green eyes. To Harry, he looked allot like the athletes he saw in magazines or on T.V. His face was slender and clean-shaven, and seemed to be easygoing and kind.

"Hi, What can I do for you?" The man asked with a grin and in a clear strong voice. Harry was caught off guard by the man's greeting. His smile was so genuine - like Harry was a close friend who had come to visit.

The grin was contagious, Harry couldn't stop himself from grinning back at the man. "Hi, My name's Harry - I live across the street." he pointed over his shoulder at Number Four. "My aunt Petunia made these for you."

The man looked up at Number Four for a brief second before taking the platter from Harry and examining a piece of paper attached. He seemed to think for several moments before that grin returned full force. "Harry huh? I'm Will. It's nice to meet you. Thanks for the cookies mate, Tell your aunt I appreciate the gesture, I'd be happy to meet her and her husband sometime soon."

Harry nodded and shook Will's hand. "Sure, I'll see you around Will." Still wearing that infectious grin Will closed the door. Harry liked Will, It was a nice change to have a neighbor different from the norm.

As Harry entered the kitchen Aunt Petunia pounced on him before he could shut the door behind him. "Well? What did he say?" she asked shrilly.

Harry smirked at his aunt's obvious anticipation. "His name is Will. He thanks you for the cookies, and agrees to meet you and Uncle Vernon sometime soon."

Aunt Petunia's eyes flashed with momentary glee before they squinted with suspicion. "and?"

"I didn't say anything 'freakish' to him." Harry sighed.

A week had passed since Harry had delivered the cookies. Nothing had changed, Harry did his normal chores, and studied in his room. He had received a letter from Sirius a few days ago. He was encouraging Harry in his studies and had encouraging him to get some exercise too. Sirius was an ex-auror and had told him about how purebloods and their most common weakness - physical activity. So Harry had taken up jogging around Privet Drive and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Harry was working in his garden one afternoon, it was a hot day and he was examining the growth of a plant that had grown unexpectedly. Harry had learned a bit about cross-breeding plants, but this plant had started growing between a muggle lotus and one of his magical plants, the problem was he couldn't figure out which one. As he knelt in the flowerbed he felt an odd sensation. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck and he felt as if he was being watched. He glanced up and down the street, but saw nothing. He stood and scanned the area around him, but didn't see anything. Returning to his plant, the feeling eventually went away.

"Hey Harry"

Harry jumped and whirled around to see Will with that grin plastered across his face. Harry tried to calm himself, he noticed he had reached for his wand, which he did not have. Composing himself he spoke "Geez Will, I didn't even hear you walking over. How's it going?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty light on my feet." Will laughed. "Listen, I could use a hand unloading some boxes if you want to make a little pocket money?".

Harry was surprised by the offer, but accepted after a little thought. "Sure, I'll change and be right over."

Will pointed to his house. "I'll be in the garage sorting through boxes, so just come on in."

Fifteen minutes later, Harry had made his way over to Will's house. He knocked twice before entering. The first thing he had noticed was that the inside looked nothing like his relative's house. As he entered passed through the entryway that led to the garage, he noted that most of Will's furniture was a sleek modern style, unlike the misplaced 'antiques' his aunt seemed to love. The place had a comfortable welcome feel to it.

Harry found Will stepping down from a ladder with a large box under one arm. He stacked the box on a pile behind him before turning to Harry. "Ready to get to work?"

They had worked for nearly two hours. To Harry's surprise, the majority of the boxes they had unloaded were books and nicnaks. Will had told Harry that he had spent allot of time traveling the world once he had finished business school. He picked up several unique objects and books throughout his travels and had built quite the collection. There were several objects that looked vaguely familiar to Harry but he couldn't figure out where he had seen them. After organizing Will's office and private library, they were now finishing with the living room. Harry was putting the last two books on a slim bookshelf when. Will stretched loudly. "Looks like that the last of them, That was allot easier than I expected." He smiled, "Take a load off, mate. Ill grab us some drinks."

Harry stretched and slumped in one of the leather chairs. He looked around Will's living room. The sleek furniture and shelves lined with books and various unique objects had a nice feel. It was what Harry imagined those executive suites his Uncle Vernon always raved about would look like.

Will returned with two bottles of coke, he handed one to Harry before sitting opposite Harry. He took a drink before setting the bottle down and leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

Harry took several gulps of the fizzy drink, this was a rare treat for him, he was never allowed to have any sodas at the Dursleys, and they didn't serve them at Hogwarts. He set his bottle down and looked over at Will. What he saw startled him slightly.

Will was looking at Harry oddly. It was like he was examining one of the objects from his travels, and he had forgotten where he had found it. His ever present grin was no longer there, with his face absent of any discernible emotion, Will looked rather intimidating.

Harry wondered briefly what he had done wrong. They had been getting along great all day. Will had told him tons of stories of his adventures and Harry had even told him about some of the stunts he pulled on his cousin and his goons. The entire day Will had that grin plastered on his face. That grin that was so genuine, and held a mischievousness and foxy cleverness that reminded him so much of the pictures of the Marauders that Remus had shown him. Harry was about to ask what was wrong when Will spoke his voice held no anger, but it held something Harry couldn't place.

"Would you mind telling me why you reek of mutt?"

This question shocked Harry. He had no idea how to respond to the question. It was a rather rude thing to ask someone, and he had asked so bluntly that it sounded like he was expecting Harry to know the answer.

"I - Uh...What?" He asked intelligently.

Will was still watching him closely. "Why do you smell like mutt." it wasn't as much of a question this time.

Harry began to ask what he meant when a knock came at the front door. Will rose and headed to answer it. "Excuse me a moment", he said simply.

When Will was out of sight, Harry rose to his feet but didn't move. 'What's going on here? Is he crazy?'. Harry smelled his arm and his shirt testing for stink. That's when Harry heard his aunt's voice from the hall. "I'm terribly sorry, Will. I saw my nephew head over here earlier, I do hope he isn't bothering you. He is such a troubled child, and I -"

"That's quite alright Mrs. Dursley. Harry was just helping me with some boxes. I'll be sure to send him home when we are finished." Will said, his voice seemed just as it had before normal, and with a smile in his voice.

"Oh fantastic! I am so glad he is able to help you out. Please tell him that Dudley, Vernon and I are heading to London for the night. We will be back tomorrow morning - I'll leave some money on the table so he can order some dinner." Petunia answered.

Harry froze at hearing this. She was leaving money for him to order dinner? 'What the Hell?'. Something was very wrong, his aunt's voice sounded off somehow. It wasn't the usual false refinement that she usually used when speaking to neighbors. Her voice now sounded... softer, more relaxed.

Harry was broken from his thoughts by the sound of the door closing and Will re-entering the living room. "I take it you heard that?"

Harry nodded slowly. He raised an eyebrow quizzically at Will. "She left me money to order dinner?"

Will chuckled at the teens obvious suspicion. "Yes, well the compulsion was for her to take her family away for the rest of the night." Will returned to his seat and took a swig from his coke. "I very well couldn't leave you without dinner- Though from what you told me, your rather gifted in the kitchen on your own."

Harry was still standing, his right hand resting where he usually kept his wand. He didn't have it, but it was a defensive position that made him feel more secure. "You're...you're a wizard?" He asked uncertainly.

Will clasped his hands behind his head as he leaned back in his chair and gained a thoughtful, expression. He seemed to think very hard about the question. Harry waited impatiently for a response, worried that he had fallen into a trap of some sort. His thoughts drifted back to his dream from last week. 'Is will working for Voldemort? ...No he can't be he doesn't act like most wizards, especially not the pureblood type that usually followed him. He is way too comfortable in the muggle world to be one of his followers'. Harry still didn't relax though.

Will seemed to have made a decision, he smirked, "I was".

Harry didn't really understand. "You were?"

Will nodded and leaned forward once again. "I was a wizard once." Will paused for a moment. "But now I am more." he added simply.

Harry groaned internally. 'This can't be good'. "So what are you then?"

"I am..." Will paused as if worried about how Harry would react.

"... a Vampire".

**A/N: Thanks again for reading. We've got a bit of a cliffhanger here. My advice to you is to assume nothing. Please take a moment to let me know what you think.**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Before you read the next chapter, I would like to thank all those who have read this story and those who are following/favoriting this story. It's encouraging to have at least a few followers, I'm still noticing that traffic is pretty slow coming to this story. but I am hoping to gain some traction with this update. Enjoy!

Immortals CH2: Revelations

"I am...a Vampire." Will's face was blank as he said this, his eyes looking for any kind of reaction by Harry.

Harry immediately went on guard, without breaking eye contact with Will, he began to count the number of escape routes he had available, as well as anything nearby he could use to defend himself_. _

_'Window is no good. I'd be dead before I reached the front door. The garage is locked tight...'_. Trying to Calmhimself slightly, he tried to think about the situation. _'I've been here for hours. Will has had plenty of chances to attack me, but he hasn't. It doesn't seem like he has any intentions of hurting me, but still... something doesn't seem right here.'_

"Yo- You're a Vampire?" Harry laughed nervously. This had to be some sort of joke.

Will's face split into a small smirk. "I'm afraid so, Harry."

Harry immediately stopped laughing, he was serious. His voice retained that same genuine kindness it had before. Harry slowly sat back down in his chair. He sat there stiffly, ready for anything.

Will smile grew at his actions. "You are the first person I have revealed this to in quite some time. Even more, you are the first who had not fled my presence or attempt to slay me upon hearing such a declaration. It fills me with great joy that you seem at least tentatively accepting of my curse."

Harry smiled uncomfortably. "Well, you haven't given me any reason to fear you, Besides, you don't seem like any of the vampires I've read about in Defense Against the Dark Arts."

Will snickered at the mention of the subject. "There is a great deal that wizards do not know about my kind."

Harry didn't know how to respond to that comment. As a silence began to stretch between them, he decided to ask the question that was beginning to overwhelm him. "So.. What exactly are you doing here in Surrey?" Before he could even finish his question a more pressing one left his lips. "Are..are you here for me?" Harry feared the answer but dared not show it.

Will sighed deeply. Then looked uncertain. "I will answer your questions and more, but I would prefer you answered my question first."

Harry gained a confused expression. "Huh?"

"Why do you smell like mutt?" Will repeated patiently.

Harry didn't know how to respond. Will obviously knew the answer, by the look on his face, he was worriedly expecting an answer he was probably dreading. For the life, of him Harry couldn't figure out what he meant.

Lifting his right arm, Harry tentatively sniffed under his arm, followed by his shirt. "I- I'm not sure what you mean Will, I don't smell anything. The Dursleys don't have a dog."

Will seemed to relax slightly at Harry's answer but still the nervous seriousness of his expression remained.

"Harry... have you ever encountered a Werewolf?"

Harry stiffened slightly at the realization. He knew exactly what Will meant now. Apparently Will noticed and immediately stood in a panic. "You mean they've come after you?!"

This outburst confused Harry. "They? Who's They?"

Will relaxed slightly. He stood there thinking deeply and watching Harry closely. He looked like he was choosing his next words carefully. "Do you know any werewolves Harry?"

The question made Harry very uncomfortable. It was true, he did know a werewolf, but Remus had told him how badly werewolves were treated, and how important it was that as few people as possible knew about his 'furry little problem'. Looking to Will, he nodded slowly.

Will looked down at Harry, a fierceness seemed to creep into his ordinarily bright composure. "Were you bitten?"

Harry rose at this accusation and was quick to protest. "No! O- of course not! He is an old friend of my parents! They went to school together years ago! I only just met him this year."

The edge in Will's posture eased and he slowly lowered into his seat. Harry, realizing Will was not angry, returned to his seat as well.

Will was silent for a long moment before he looked at Harry with what appeared to be hope. "Would this werewolf's name happen to be Lupin?"

Harry was surprised. "You know Remus?"

Will shook his head. Harry noticed that most of the previous tension seemed to leave Will in that moment. "I don't know him well. However we had a brief encounter a few years ago."

Harry was now the one who tensed at the other's words. Harry knew that vampires and werewolves were bitter enemies. "Did you two fight?"

Will laughed merrily at Harry's question. "Not at all. I had met Lupin in a tavern on the outskirts of London. I knew what he was the second he sat next to me at the bar." Will paused to remember the moment. "I was worried a fight was about to break out. I'm not really the type to fight unneccarily. So when I rose to leave, I was quite shocked when I felt his hand on my shoulder, it was a light and friendly gesture." Will leaned back in his seat recalling the memory. "I'll never forget that night."

Harry was intrigued by the story, he was eager to learn more about what happened with Remus. "So what happened?".

Will reached for his drink and took a sip. Harry was glad, because the gesture had eased his nerves a great deal.

"Don't leave on my account mate. Come on, I'll buy you a drink". Will quoted with a smile. "That was the first time I had met a werewolf with any semblance of decency. We sat and we talked about many things; literature, we talked about the places we had been, we talked about quidditch and even told some entertaining stories. Our conversation was light and friendly. I was surprised at how... human the experience was." Will's face became nostalgic. "We parted ways and I have not heard of him since."

Harry smiled at the tale. That was so like Remus. He was the type to take a potential enemy and try to befriend him. Despite all Remus had gone through, he was still a great guy.

Will looked relieved. "I'm glad it was only him."

Harry frowned in thought. "Will... Before you asked if 'they' had gotten to me. What exactly did you mean by that?".

Will cleared his throat and took in a deep breath. This did not ease Harry of his anxiety.

"Harry, I came to Surrey so that I might ask for your aid. I was worried that perhaps I wasn't the only one who thought you a valuable ally."

"What could I possibly be able to help a vampire with?" Harry asked curiously. "You know... you don't look like any vampire I've ever heard of... Plus you were outside during the day! Shouldn't you have burst into flames or something?" Harry added slightly accusingly.

"Before I ask you of anything. I think it would be a good idea to explain some things." Will smiled uncomfortably. "The Wizarding world has made many misconceptions about my kind."

Harry was not very surprised by this. From his experience so far in the Wizarding world he knew that witches and wizards were very narrow minded and bigoted. They easily believed everything they read in The Daily Prophet, and their knowledge of things outside of their small world was limited and very outdated. Harry gestured for Will to continue.

"Well, there really is no place to begin. Let me start by answering your first question. I am known by my kind as William. In the muggle and Wizarding World, I go by Will. This", Will raised his hand showing a simple ring. It was so plain that he had not even noticed he was wearing it. There were no jewels or stones; it was nothing like the jewelry his aunt usually wore. There were some sort of symbols etched into the metal, but they were so small and tightly packed together that Harry couldn't make them out. "is how my kind has overcome much of our curse".

"What do you mean? That ring let's you go outside?"

"It does much more than that, Harry. Over time, my kind needed to adapt in order to survive. The sun was not our only enemy. Humans, both muggle and wizard had hunted us in fear for generations. Constant conflict with the Lycans nearly exterminated us. Many years before the establishment of what is now the Ministry of Magic. Our kind, with the help of a small group of wizards, developed a spell that would allow us much more freedom from our curse, allowing us to live amongst mortals." Will explained as if lecturing his favorite subject in school.

"The spell was cast on various rings and were distributed among the remaining vampires along with the spell. They were forbidden from turning a mortal without using the spell. And so, we disappeared into the mortal world. The rings allow us to live almost a completely mortal existence. We can be in the sun, and the compulsion to feed is almost non-existent."

"So...aren't you like dead or something?" Harry asked gently, not really knowing how to phrase the question.

Will laughed loudly. "Do I look dead?"

"Well... No, but you're a vampire right? Doesn't that mean that you died?" Harry began.

"Think of it this way... I died. Then I woke up. Instead of passing on, I merely awakened as a Vampire." Will attempted to explain.

Harry paused to think how to respond, becoming trepid, he tentatively asked. "S- So, what does it feel like? You know - being a vampire?"

Will seemed to ponder this for a second. "I don't think I have ever been asked that."

Harry was quick to correct himself. "Sorry! I- Uh, really didn't mean to offend, I was just-"

Will cut off his apology. "No no, it's alright."

"Well." Will paused for a moment."It's allot like being alive. Except... Things feel a bit colder, Except when you are in contact with others. The warmth from another person is an incredible feeling for us. Your emotions are far more powerful. When...you feel happy, you feel overjoyed. When you feel sadness, you feel sorrow. When you feel anger, you feel rage." Will spoke solemnly as if it were a very sore subject for him. He paused again to think. When he spoke again it was slightly more positive. "My senses are sharpened, I have strength and agility beyond the capability of humans. I have a more powerful magical core than I had in my - other life, and I have powers that most mortals would kill for."

Harry suddenly realized something that Will had mentioned before. "Wait - so are you saying you can do magic?"

Will smirked. "Yes" Will reached into his pocket and withdrew a long dark wand. "I can."

Harry was astonished at what he was hearing. "But, they teach us that vampires can't perform magic! They say that you would lose your magic once you turn!"

Will flicked his wand, nothing happened for a moment. Then two bottles of Coke floated into the room before landing softly on the table. "For some, magic does leave you. In those cases it is usually because they are overwhelmed by their instincts and become little more than beasts that live only to feed and mate." Will's tone changed to one of slight disgust. "It is those vampires that wizards have seen. Those who are unable to control themselves and defect from our kind's laws."

Will twirled his wand and reached his arm towards Harry offering it to him bottom first. "Take a look." Harry was surprised by the gesture. It signified a great deal of trust to give your wand to someone. Harry examined the wand as Will continued his tale.

"So, like I was saying. My kind disappeared among mortals. Most of them chose the muggle world as it was much easier to blend into. The few that did stay in the Wizarding world usually switched between the two worlds in order to remain inconspicuous. Over time, the muggle world developed far beyond the scope of wizards and soon enough all vampires merged into the muggle world."

Will then stood and began to pace slowly around the room. "For a long time, our only problem was the occasional fight breaking out between one of our clans and a werewolf pack. That is until he who called himself Lord Voldemort began his rise to power." Will stopped his pacing and stared at Harry. Harry then noticed that his gaze was not on him, but was solely focused on his scar. "He had somehow found out how to contact us and requested that we join his ranks. There were more of us then, and we had every reason to join him."

"But you didn't?" Harry asked

Will smiled painfully. "A few did. Mostly those who either struggled in the muggle world or those who had trouble controlling their curse. Those that did had their rings taken and were spellbound to secrecy."

"In the end, we never needed to make the choice. Shortly after he made contact, he was defeated." Will said this part with a smile, now looking Harry in the eyes.

Harry head was spinning slightly. This was a lot of information to take in. Still Harry was beginning to get the feeling that the impromptu history lesson was not complete.

"I'm sure you would really like to know why I'm here now, right?" Will asked with a smirk at Harry's expression.

"Well, yeah."

"I came to Surrey in order to find you. To be honest, I was shocked when I realized I had moved in across the street from my target. I had expected it to take much longer to find you." Harry was about to comment on that but Will did not give him a chance. "It took a long time, but I was able to find out your relatives lived in Surrey. Apparently the Ministry did a fairly good job covering up your exact location, but a slip up at the Improper Use of Magic Department revealed that a letter was sent to Surrey addressed to you. It was just pure luck that I happened to move in across the street. I had expected to have to do a good bit of detective work in order to find you."

Will cleared his throat again. "Anyway, I came looking for you in order to form a bridge of contact."

Harry gained a relieved expression, he had expressed much worse. "What do you mean?"

"As I mentioned before, there are not many of my kind left. Those that remain are divided among four clans scattered all over the continent. Recent events have transpired and my kind is now greatly at risk. My clan has tasked me to seek out our brethren in order to warn them of the threat."

Harry brows furrowed in concern. "What kind of threat?"

Will seemed hesitant to answer. "We aren't sure, all we know is that many vampires have been slain in their own homesrecently. Many of us live very normal lives in the muggle world. Some even choose to adopt families of their own. Olric, our Historian, keeps tabs on every vampire. He has a tome that records the death of each of us as it happens. In the past year he has recorded the deaths of four vampires - all of which we have been unable to find." Will frowned slightly. "Four deaths in less than a year is alarming. It means that someone may have found a way to track us, and is now hunting us down."

"That's...really awful Will, but what does all of this have to do with me?" Harry asked now very confused.

Will seemed slightly embarrassed. "I decided that if this threat is truly powerful enough to warrant a warning like this. We are going to need more help. We are going to need help from Wizards."

Harry thought about Will's words. It made sense, but it was obvious that Will was choosing his words very carefully. "Again, Why me?"

Will sighed. "You are a powerful wizard who has fame that spans all of Europe. More importantly, you are a neutral party. You are neither bound to the bias of the Light-aligned families of the Wizarding world, nor are you a known supporter of The Dark Lord or his Death Eaters."

"That... makes sense I guess." Harry conceded. "but I'm not a powerful wizard, I was only a baby when Voldemort attacked me. Dumbledore thinks it was something my mum did that defeated him".

Will was thoughtful for a moment. "I don't know of any magic that could do something like what you did. It must have been very old magic if what your saying is true." He shaking the thought off. "Nonetheless, you may not realize it but you have a surprisingly powerful magical core."

Harry was surprised. "Really? How can you tell?"

Will gained a cocky smile. "It's one of the gifts of my curse."

"Listen Harry, none of my kind know of my little mission here. I'm breaking allot of rules coming to you. All I am asking is that you will act as a sort of liaison for me. I don't know what's going to happen, but this way both our sides can know what's going on. Really, it will just be us writing back and forth."

Harry leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, a habit that had formed when me deep in thought. It was a pretty simple request. It sounded like it would just be like having a pen pal, but still Harry couldn't shake off the sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Alright, I'll do it." Harry agreed.

Will smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, I knew this was the right thing to do. I doubt that things will actually get bad enough that anyone needs to get involved. So don't stress about it".

Harry glanced at a large ornate clock that was hanging behind Will. "I better go, it's getting really late". Will rose and stretched. Picking up his wand from where Harry had set it on the coffee table, he waved it deftly and their bottles vanished. "Your right, this took much longer than I had expected."

The two shook hands and Will escorted Harry to the door. Will's almost strange happiness was back and Harry was glad, this had been a very serious afternoon.

Stopping at the door, Will spoke. " I am going to hang around here for a few more days, but I am going to start searching for the others. I am designating this property as an emergency safe house. I probably won't be back for some time, if you wouldn't mind, can you keep an eye on the place when your here?".

"Uh. Sure. No problem. Um, Why do you need a safe house? I thought you said that things aren't going to be so bad?" Harry said with a little suspicion.

Will laughed, "It never hurts to be prepared Harry. This is the first time that my kind has been threatened in a very long time. It's better to prepare for the worst at a time like this. That exactly why I came looking for you.".

Harry was impressed Will seemed so certain that nothing was going to happen that was too dangerous, but he was still ready just in case he was wrong. Saying goodbye to Will, Harry made his was back home.

As he stepped into his aunt's pristine kitchen, he immediately spotted the money on the kitchen table. He was surprised when he counted out fifty pounds. Harry never had any pocket money, having some muggle money would probably be useful over the summer. Now that he thought about it. It would probably be a good idea to have some of his gold converted to pounds, that way he could bring it home with him when he got out of school next summer. Harry quickly ran upstairs and neatly rolled the bills under the loose floorboard under his bed. Smiling widely he went back down to the kitchen and made himself a large dinner, using anything he could from the fridge and cupboards. Placing several plates across the table in the living room, he flipped on the TV and enjoyed his meal. He had enjoyed this evening so much that he had forgotten all about the conversation at Will's.

The next morning was just as enjoyable for Harry. Waking up from where he had fallen asleep on the couch, he took his time covering up his presence from the night before. By noon the Dursleys house was exactly how they had left it the night before. Deciding it would be best to have his chores done before his relatives returned from their impromptu night away he made his way out to the garden. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Will's house and the conversation from last night came rushing back to him.

It was strange knowing what he did now about his new neighbor. Chuckling to himself, he imagined what his relatives would say if they ever found out about their new neighbor's - condition. As he worked with his plants it he thought about what he had learned. Will had been pretty serious about keeping their meeting a secret. He wondered if he should tell Ron and Hermione about his new neighbor.

He laughed, knowing exactly what they would say. Ron would probably get freaked out and go on about how evil vampires were. As for Hermione he could hear her now, _'Harry! You need to tell someone! Vampires are very dangerous Dark creatures! I've read all about them in..' _and she would go on listing examples of why they are dangerous or evil. He had to admit, they would have a point. Vampires aren't exactly known for anything besides killing and attacking people, but Will had not given him any reason to not trust him yet. Plus, it wasn't like Will had asked very much of him. Will would be leaving Privet Drive, and it was possible that Harry wouldn't hear from him again.

Harry had made his decision, he would keep his meeting with Will a secret.

The rest of the week passed by normally for Harry. The Dursleys had returned from London very pleased. Dudley was going on and on about some new theme park that was opening soon. Strangely even his Aunt and Uncle seemed excited about it. Apparently Vernon's company had a contract with some of the construction being done. Petunia seemed excited about the large shops and attractions that would be there. Harry thought it sounded amazing, but knew that he probably would never be able to go - maybe he could convince Ron and Hermione to go sometime.

Soon enough It was the weekend, and the Dursleys were having a lay in. Dudley was in the living room watching some martial arts movie as Vernon read his paper and Petunia read one of her trashy romance books. Harry sat on the floor with his back against the couch as he watched the movie. It was one of those few times when he could watch TV as long as he didn't move or make any noise.

The calm atmosphere was broken by a firm knock on the door. Petunia set her book down and made her way to the door. "Now who could be calling this early?" she said with a huff.

"Good morning Petunia, Sorry to bother you so early" came Will's voice from the entranceway. Harry jumped to his feet and rushed to the door too quickly for his uncle to stop him. "Will? What are you doing here?" he asked as politely as possible. Petunia scowled but said nothing.

Will smiled wide at Harry. "Hey! just the man I wanted to see! I'm about to head out." Will gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. Parked at the crub was a shiny black car not unlike the kind his uncle borrowed from his company "I just wanted to thank you for the help the other day and say goodbye before I took off."

"Where are you off to?" Petunia interjected in what Harry had come to call her 'seemingly caring but actually looking for gossip' voice.

Will turned to Petunia, the grin never leaving his face. "I just got called on travel for work. I won't know where I'm going until I get to the airport. It looks like I'll be gone for quite some time though."

"You must be the new neighbor." came Vernon's voice from behind Harry. He suddenly felt a great weight on his shoulder as Vernon grasped it firmly. "Vernon Dursley." he said pompously and he extended a meaty hand out to him.

"Nice to meet you, Vernon." Will took his hand and shook. Harry noticed the great surprise on his uncle's face, not expecting Will to be quite so strong.

"I'm afraid I have to go, I just wanted to give this to Harry as a thank you for all his help before I left." Will said handing an envelope to Harry.

"Er- Thanks Will. It was no problem though. You don't need to give me anything" Harry replied earnestly. Will laughed at that.

"Nonsense! I insist. I would take it as a great insult if you don't take it." Will said with a smirk.

Looking down at the envelope, he carefully peeled the wax off and opened it reverently. Even to this day, Harry treated every gift with reverence and gratitude. What he saw made him gasp in shock and feel his uncle tightened his grip on his shoulder slightly.

The envelope was stuffed with money. He couldn't see the amounts of the bills they were so tightly packed together..

"No- Will there's no way-" But Harry was cut off by his uncle.

"You heard him, boy. Don't be rude." Vernon said gruffly.

Harry looked up at his uncle's face. His voice was unnatural somehow. Normally his uncle would be adamantly against something like this. Vernon was staring at Will almost transfixed for a moment before he looked to Harry. He looked like he was about to say something more, but he merely nodded.

Harry looked to Will and saw a mischievous smirk on his face. "Well, I better get going, It was nice meeting you Vernon". Will shook his hand again and then turned to Harry. "Thanks again for the help". When they shook hands, Will leaned in slightly. "Remember, this was all just precaution. You'll only hear from me if things get really bad." A bit louder he continued, "Good luck at school next year try to keep out of trouble." Harry smirked.

"I'll try. Have a safe trip." Harry watched as Will said his goodbyes to the Dursleys and confidently strode to his car. With a final nod to Harry, he sped down Privet Drive and disappeared around the corner.

Harry didn't hesitate. Gripping his envelope he sprinted up the stairs and into his room. Locking the door behind him, he pulled the clip of money from the paper and looked at it in awe. Carefully peeling each note as he counted his excitement rose. There was five hundred pounds here!

Harry suddenly felt a large amount of gratitude towards Will. This was incredibly generous of him. However for the life of him he couldn't figure out why he would do something like this. After allot of thought that wasn't getting him anywhere. He tucked the clip of money under his floorboard and made his way back downstairs to catch the end of his movie.

Harry


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Just a note to my readers, I am still struggling with random bolding appearing in my chapters as I upload them. Not really sure how to resolve the issue. I apologive for any inconvenience this causes. Again, Thanks to all who are following this story. Chapter 2 was very dialogue heavy. That is not something I plan to happen too often. This chapter will prove to be at least moderately exciting as our story will kick off from here. I'm still hoping for a bit more traffic to this story, If you have advice please send me a PM! **

**Also, This chapter contains an easter egg(a reference/crossover sort of thing). If you find it and can tell me where it's from you will win an honorable mention in the next chapter as well as be forever known as awesome. Hint: It's definately not hard to find. Now on to Chapter 3!**

**Chapter 3: Castillo**

The weeks had flown by since Will's departure from Privet Drive. Things quickly returned to normal. Harry did his chores and tried to study when he could. Dudley's diet was still holding strong, but the lack of any results had caused Dudley to become irritable. Aunt Petunia had resorted to kicking him out of the house during the day so he could get more exercise. To Harry's underwhelming surprise, Dudley had thrown a fit, and somehow dragged him into it.

"But why does Harry get to stay inside?! That not fair!" he had screamed. And just like that, Harry was out of the house as well. It did not bother Harry too much. He decided that he would do some jogging around the neighborhood. Eventually, Dudley and his gang would find him and the 'Harry Hunting' would begin. Harry would never admit it, but he enjoyed this old routine. It was a good challenge trying to escape or outmaneuver the other boys. Most times the hunt would end when Harry could either completely disappear or when he was able to prank them. Harry smiled as he remembered a particularly brilliant escape he had made the day before. Needless to say, Dudley and his gang never saw it coming.

_Flashback_

_Harry sprinted around the corner of Magnolia Crescent heading straight towards the park. He could hear his cousin jeering not far behind him. "We've got him now! Hurry!"_

_Picking up his pace Harry ran into the small group of trees in the little park. Grabbing a low branch of a tree, he hoisted himself up off his feet and climbed into the shadows of the leaves._

_Below he could hear his cousin stampeding across the grass as his friends cheered in victory, certain they had cornered their prey._

_Dudley was the first to reach the tree. Surprisingly Dudley was very quick for his large size. Apparently chasing down someone to beat up was something he was willing to run for._

_"We got you now freak! Come down and take it like a man!", He challenged with a wicked smile._

_However, Harry was ready with a wicked smile of his own. "Sure thing Duddykins. But first, Catch!"_

_Lifting his foot, he stomped as hard as he could on the branch he was standing on. With a rustling of leaves, a basketball sized brown object fell through the branches towards Dudley's head._

_Dudley caught the object easily and laughed mockingly. "Is that it? You've stalled long enough! Now come down here -" Dudley dropped the object and lifted his foot. "So we can crush you into pulp!" He emphasized this by slamming his feet into the light object, Crunching a footprint deep into it._

_Harry winced slightly. "That wasn't very smart Dud."_

_Dudley's face split into a cocky grin. He opened his mouth to taunt Harry further but was cut off by Pier's panicked scream. Looking down he saw what has frightened his friend. Hundreds of bees were crawling out the brown lump he had stepped on. Quickly they began to buzz angrily as they rose into the air around them. Backing up slowly, he whispered to his friends. "Oh crap! Guys we gotta get out of here!"_

_Not receiving any response, he looked over his shoulder slowly, trying not to move. All he saw was the retreating backs of his gang as the fled across the park. Realizing what was about to happen he let out a loud almost high-pitched squeal and took off as fast as he could after his friends._

_Harry laughed as he dropped down from the tree. He watched with a victorious smirk as his cousin fled the swarm of bees that were in hot pursuit. _

_End flashback_

Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your point of view, Dudley had returned home that evening sting free but glaring daggers at Harry. Harry knew he had the upper hand at moments like this. Dudley worked very hard to keep his parents thinking he was a 'good boy'. He could not bring the incident up to his parents in fear that they might find out about his...less than reputable activities. If only they knew the depths of Dudley's reputation around the neighborhood as a bully and delinquent. It was funny really, because the Dursleys had always made it a point for people to think Harry was the one always up to no good.

Harry now found himself reading a letter he had received from Sirius this afternoon. Harry had been writing his godfather constantly over the last few weeks. It was really great getting to know his godfather better, but he wished he was able to actually see him. According to his letter he was somewhere on a coast. He and Buckbeak had taken refuge on the outskirts of a muggle resort and they were living pretty comfortably for the time being. The locals had really taken to Padfoot and that made it very easy for him to scavenge food. Harry smiled as Sirius claimed the ladies on the beach had taken a real liking to him. That was Sirius, Harry had come to realize his godfather was quite the playboy, always making some suggestive comment whenever he could. He told Sirius about his latest prank on Dudley and his gang. Sirius had been ecstatic and had demanded a detailed account of the event when they met again. It made Harry well up with happiness, his godfather was proud of him - it was a feeling that was very new to him. Something had begun to click in that moment. Harry resolved to do his best in everything he did from now on - he would make his godfather proud.

All too soon, Dudley's birthday had fast approached. Harry was looking forward to it, because it would mean that he would be able to have the house to himself. Of course, he would be grounded to his room for the time that they were gone - but what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them..or him for that matter.

The night before Dudley's big day, Harry was called downstairs by his uncle.

'_Here we go. The pre-birthday warnings. Stay in your room, don't make noise, Keep that owl locked up - we can't have the neighbors thinking we left you'. _Harry took in a deep breath and made his way downstairs. Waiting in the living room was his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Dudley looked angry and pink, usually signs of a tantrum that had not gone his way. "Sit down, boy." Vernon said gruffly.

Making his way over to the couch Harry on the opposite end of Dudley. Safely out of reach, he asked, "What's up?".

Vernon sighed in resignation. "As you are aware, tomorrow is Dudley's birthday". As he said this he was staring right at Harry, his face neutral except for a hint of frustration. "Tomorrow morning, we are heading to London, to the grand opening of Castillo - the new theme park. I was able to arrange free passes for us to go", he said importantly. "Normally we would leave you here." Dudley sniffed loudly at this. "However, I think it best that you come with us." Harry rose his eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? You're taking me with you?" Harry asked a little suspiciously. _'Sounds like an entire day locked in the car to me'_, he thought with disdain.

Uncle Vernon swelled slightly. "Do not get too excited, boy. You burden us enough as it is, I can't afford to be paying for your entertainment as well! You will be paying for your own entrance into the park as well as responsible for yourself for the day. I do not want you ruining Dudley's birthday with your freakishness. Do you understand?".

Harry was very surprised by this turn of events. He was going to a theme park! Sure he had to pay his own way, but thanks to Will he could probably do that and even have some money left over! Honestly, and entire day without the Dursleys at a place like Castillo sounded amazing to Harry.

"Alright that sounds great. Er- Thank you, uncle." Harry said respectfully. It wasn't often he was offered something like this and by his relative's standards, this was extremely generous of them.

"Yes, well - you just be sure to write that godfather of yours and tell him where you're going." Vernon said dismissively. "Be ready at 6am sharp! I will not wait around for you."

_'Oh now this all makes sense'. _Harry thought to seemed that the Dursleys were still very threatened by the thought of his godfather. Smiling slightly, Harry nodded. "I'll be sure to mention it in my next letter."

Racing upstairs, he could barely contain his excitement. He was going to a theme park! Suddenly all of the things Dudley had been rambling on and on about came rushing back. Games, rides, stores, attractions; this was going to be great! Castillo was expected to be a marvel of the new age. This would be the first time he would be able to go to a place like this and not just sit waiting in the car. Harry fell asleep that night dreaming of the excitement that was to come.

Harry woke the next morning very irritable. The nightmares that had seemed to had subsided had returned full force that night and he found himself tangled in his sheets in a cold sweat. Deciding he was not going to let it ruin what was expecting to be one of the best days of his life, he jumped into the shower and prepared to go to Castillo.

He carefully removed his money from the loose floorboard and making sure his floorboard was perfectly in place, he made his way downstairs and waited for his relatives to finish their preparations.

The drive to Castillo was pretty good. Dudley and Piers talked animatedly about all of the things they were excited to see and do. Harry wasn't surprised when they pulled up to Pier's house that morning. For all his uncle's talk of not being able to afford Harry's 'entertainment expenses', he seemed more than capable of affording Piers'. When they pulled up to Piers' house, Harry noted that it was one of the bigger houses in their neighborhood. Now that Harry thought about it, he didn't really know anything about Piers other than him being Dudley's rat-faced best friend.

As Harry watched Dudley strut his way to Piers' door. Harry noticed a tall brunette girl in the kitchen window. Harry watched as she disappeared from sight and reappear opening the door for Dudley.

Harry covered his mouth to contain his laughter as he watched Dudley stand a little straight her and attempt to chat up the girl. The girl looked to be around their age, possibly a year older. She was surprisingly attractive. She was curvy and wore her long hair in a simple ponytail. Her slender face was currently fixed in a blank expression as she listened to whatever Dudley was saying. Suddenly, Dudley gestured to the car and she looked up and directly at Harry. Her expression shifted to a slight smile. Harry was caught off guard by her attention. He quickly returned a slight smile. They held each other's gaze for a moment before it was broken when Piers pushed her to the side as he rushed out the door. The girl scowled at Piers, ignoring Dudley completely now. The two boys began rushing back to the car, and the girl gave one last look towards Harry before she snapped the door closed. As they climbed into the car Dudley whistled. "Dang Piers, Your sister is so hot." Piers smirked at his comment. "I know. That was some pretty blatant flirting there Dud. You've been crushing on Rose for ages, when are you going to just ask her out?".

Uncle Vernon chuckled. "That's my boy. Just as smooth with the ladies as his father." he said proudly.

Harry snorted. _'I can actually agree to that'. _As they pulled away he caught a glimpse of Rose in the kitchen window. "That's your sister? She doesn't look anything like you", Harry said curiously.

Piers scowled. "Don't get any ideas Potter. Not that it's any of your business but she's my step-sister."

Harry nodded. 'Now that explains allot'. Turning away from the other two boys, Harry stared out the window and watched as Surrey blurred past them. He was really looking forward to today, and he didn't want to do anything that could mess it up.

After a ride that seemed to drag on forever, they finally reached Castillo. They pulled into an enormous parking structure. With mounting excitement they made their way out to into a large open pavilion crowded with people.

"Where's the park?" Dudley asked impatiently.

"We aren't there yet." Uncle Vernon said as he examined a large open pamphlet. "It looks like we will take a tram to the main park." Looking around he continued, "Ah. There we are, we made it just in time."

Harry was so busy looking around that he almost missed the extremely long tram-car that was pulling up on the narrow street ahead. The tram was a very sleek silver and white and looked state of the art. A voice rang out from what seemed like the entire pavilion. "All aboard for Castillo!".

Harry climbed aboard their car and watched as other passengers began to settle in their seats.

The voice rang out again. Looking up Harry noticed slim speakers attached to the ceiling and seats. "Alright! We're full! If you are not in a seat please step away from the tram and wait for the next one!" The voice called in a chipper tone. Harry watched as those who hadn't climbed aboard stepped away from the tram as it began to move. Harry looked around and was surprised at how many people were still waiting to board. The tram looked like it was holding at least a hundred people, and still the crowd hadn't thinned at all. People were chattering excited to one another all around him as the voice began to list off safety rules while aboard the tram.

The tram was just beginning to pick up a moderate speed as it snaked through a beautiful scenery of tropical plants along the sleek narrow street. As they travelled, they passed a half dozen other trams that were headed to pick up more passengers. Harry was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the area, they had traveled nearly a mile and still hadn't reached the center of the park. The voice was explaining that that Castillo of the largest theme park in the world to date. Castillo blended the old with the modern. Harry wasn't really listening until the voice suddenly halted. "Hey! You! Yes! The fat one! Get in your seat!".

Harry turned his head sharply and saw Dudley hanging out of the open tram-car. With a shocked look on his face he quickly sat fully in his set. "Hey!" He whined indignantly.

Harry couldn't hold his laughter in. He and the majority of the passengers around them began to laugh at Dudley's expense. Blushing furiously he sunk down in his seat as much as possible.

The rest of the ride was smooth. When they reached their destination they found themselves in another open pavilion, this one far more narrow than the other and lined with stores. More tropical plants and small grassy areas lined one side and dozens of stores lined the other. The tiled streets led a path to a large terminal that passed through a very tall wall, where people where pouring into. Harry began to walk towards the terminal but was stopped by his uncles meaty hand on his shoulder. "This is where we leave you, boy."

Harry looked up at him and nodded. "Okay".

"We will meet you here to board the tram at 9pm. You best be here, because I will not wait around for you!" . Looking down at his pamphlet he read. "There will be a fireworks show at 8 - Come straight here after it's over, got it?"

Harry nodded. "I'll see you lot later then."

Vernon grunted in response and led the way towards the terminal. Looking around, Harry tried to figure out what he should do from here.

Waiting a few minutes, and being certain the Dursleys where out of view he made his way to the terminal. A man dressed in a red, blue and gold uniform (Harry assumed this was the Castillo uniform) was checking people through the terminal. As he approached the man asked kindly. "You here by yourself, son?" Harry nodded.

"Alright, here." He handed harry a pamphlet . "Theres your map. Go straight through here to the center pavilion. On your right is the drop-off zone, on your left is the main gate. You can buy your ticket there."

"Thanks, allot!" Harry said brightly and made his way through the security terminal.

Walking into the pavilion, he gazed open mouthed at the large marble and stone statues that dotted the area. There were knights, wizards, and what appeared to be various heroes. _'I guess there are some stories to go along with these attractions.'_ he thought to himself. Looking around he noticed a curved street where children and adults alike were being dropped off. _'Wow, there are even more people! This place must be huge!'. _Looking to his right he saw the large wrought iron gates that was the main gate to Castillo. Lining the front were many small ticket buildings.

Harry looked around at some of the statues around him. They were amazing. Some of them looked like they could come straight out of his textbooks. They were all so pristine and expertly made that they looked like they could spring to life at any moment. As he stood there he watched many families walk towards the gates, he didn't feel too bad about that though. He noticed that lots of parents were dropping groups of teenagers off at the drop-off zone before speeding away. It made him feel better not being the only one without his family.

Harry stood in line waiting for his turn to buy a ticket and tried to look through the gate. He wasn't able to see much through the crowd beyond, but he could see what appeared to be a large fountain. His thoughts were broken by a cry from the front of the line. Standing in front of the ticket vendor, were three girls. Harry couldn't see their faces but he guessed they had to be sisters. The tallest girl who had long red hair was becoming agitated with the girl who had shoulder length dark blonde hair. The blonde was searching he pockets frantically for something. Suddenly the redheads voice rang out, "What do you mean you don't have the passes! You begged dad to let you be in charge of them!" her voice was panicked and carried over the mass of chattering around her.

The blonde girl began waving her arms frantically, seemingly defending herself to her older sister. Then Harry heard a voice from coming from the man behind the glass. "Do you girls have your FreePasses or not? We've got a long line behind you."

The other girl who had strawberry blonde hair was talking to the man behind the glass. The man's face shifted from annoyance to one of polite understanding. After a moment, the blonde girl shouted in glee. "I found them! I Remember now! I put them in my shoe for safe keeping!". The blonde rose from her crouch holding three cards over her head.

The three girls were walking quickly through the gates when Harry heard the taller girl huff loudly, "You are so lucky.."

Harry watched the girls pass through the gate. '_That would have really sucked. I wonder how much these tickets are anyway'. _With mounting anxiousness that he would not have enough money to enter. When Harry's turn came, he stepped up to the glass and asked. "Er- One ticket please."

The man behind the glass spoke in a distorted voice through the speaker. "Do you have a FreePass?" Harry shook his head. "That will be 150 pounds for a standard ticket. Or if you would like the Grand Opening special, you can eat for free tonight in anyone of our many restraints, and get inside access to Castillo Castle which doesn't open officially next week."

"How much for that?" Harry asked.

"300 pounds, sir."

Harry thought for a moment. It was allot of money, but it might be really cool to get to see the Castle. '_I wonder if the Dursleys get to go in the Castle'. _

"Um, do you get to do the extra stuff with the FreePass?" He asked.

The man smiled. "No sir, FreePass only redeems one standard ticket each."

That settled it for Harry. "Ill take the Grand Opening special."

Three hundred pounds later, Harry found himself in another huge pavilion staring in awe at his surroundings. In front of him was the largest fountain he had ever seen. It was big enough for Hagrid to swim in. It was made of a grey and white stone and had water shooting off its tiers in long arcs. Music was playing loudly from the trees that surrounded the pavilion switching randomly between exciting, to relaxing to romantic and others. Looking to one side was a large stage that looked like was meant for musical performances. Behind the fountain was a white castle that towered over the pavilion. To each side of the large courtyard were long orange-red escalator bridges that arced high into the air. Each bridge connected the the roof of the castle that acted as a bridge to the what looked like the amusement section of the park beyond. Harry could see towering roller coasters and attractions as well clearly hear the gleeful shrieks of those on that side.

To his right, was a short staired walkway that was as wide as the whole pavilion. Looking carefully he guessed it led to what seemed to be the shopping district of Castillo.

The shopping district looked like it could easily fit Diagon Alley. Each building rose into multiple floors. Dozens of the orange-red escalators spiraled and twisted up wards into balconies and the upper floors. Wide bridges in reds, blues, and yellows connected buildings at multiple heights across the alleyway. Smells of delicious food and sounds of different music playing up and down the alley drifted into the main pavilion.

It was all so huge! He doubted he would be able to do everything in one day. People where excitedly running everywhere. Kids played around the large fountain and people could be seen relaxing on benches and under trees. Making a quick decision, He strode over to the castle. As he crossed the courtyard, trying his best not to get in the way of the people taking pictures, he saw a large ornate sign next to the oak doors. it read:

_Castillo Castle_

Beneath the title was the scripted fairytale that Castillo was based on. Harry assumed that all of the attractions would have stories like this one. Looking closer he saw an extra sign attached. _Castillo Castle open to Grand Opening Pass holders at 7pm._

Deciding he would come back later, Harry made his way to one of the bridges. Excitedly jumping onto the steps he looked around wildly as he rose higher and higher into the air. His excitement rose as the full view of the Castillo park became visible. Rides, arcades, and vendors stretched out as far as the eye could see.

As he reached the top of the castle, he stepped down on the wooden ceiling. Looking ahead he saw that people were disappearing over the edge of the roof. When he reached the end he saw that to get down to the amusement district you would walk down a drawbridge that acted as a ramp to the ground. The drawbridge was suspended over a crystal clear stream where various aquatic life could be seen.

Harry ducked and weaved through the crowd as he sprinted down the ramp to the ground, excited to get to some rides. As he headed towards one of the rollercoasters something caught his eye. Rather, _someone_ caught his eye.

Standing alone in the center of the tiled street of the amusement district, was the strawberry blonde girl from the ticket booth. She was looking around, as if deciding which ride to go on. Harry thought about going over to her, but just as he took a step in her direction, a group of people passed in front of him and when they had passed she was gone.

Harry looked around, but couldn't see her anywhere. Shrugging he headed to his roller coaster.

The rides at Castillo had been amazing to Harry. The rollercoaster's reminded him of being on his broom. The wild loops, turns, lights and noises gave an extra thrill. Even the themed rides were cool, Harry really enjoyed riding his way through the fantasy adventures.

Harry had just gotten off a ride that featured a story where a young teen battled an evil vampire. He had to admit, for a ride it was pretty scary. Deciding to take a break he spotted an ice-cream vendor with a fairly short line. It was in this line that he spotted the girl from the ticket booth again.

She stood at the front of the line pointing at a flavor up on the sign above. her long strawberry blonde hair swayed slightly as she gestured excitedly to the vendor who was smiling widely at her.

_'I've been seeing this girl everywhere today. I've seen her at least ten separate times since I got here. It's like everywhere I go, there she is. Then she's just gone. I wonder where her sisters are...'. _He looked around for any sign of the other two girls, but he couldn't see them anywhere. When he looked back to her. She was gone.

_'What the-l? Where did she go?'_

A few hours had passed and Harry found himself on one over the upper floors of an arcade. He was playing a racing simulator when he heard the booming sound of a bell tower outside. Finding that it was nearly three o' clock already, he decided to head over to the shopping district for dinner. According to his map, the majority of the restaurants were on that side of the park.

The escalator was approaching the highest point in the bridge's arc when the person to his right fell slightly forward. With reflexes honed after years of dodging punches and Quidditch training, He snaked his arm out catching the person by the waist and holding them steady. "Whoa. You-", Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "You!".

Leaning into him grasping his arm tightly was the girl from the ticket booth. Now that she was close he got a good look at her. She was very tall for how old she looked, nearly as tall as he was and had a very slim, slender, almost lanky build. She was wearing an orange top with spaghetti straps and dark blue cutoffs. She had smooth lightly tanned skin. _'Very smooth, and soft...'_, very suddenly Harry became aware of where his hands were and quickly released his hold on her.

"Er- Sorry. Uh. Are you okay?" He asked a little embarrassed.

The girl was staring transfixed over the edge of the bridge. Turning her head towards him for the first time, he had to admit - she was really cute in a tomboyish way. She had a very innocent, happy, almost pure look about her. Her strawberry hair hung straight and framed the side of her face emphasizing her slender features. A light blush spread across her cheeks. "Y-Yeah. I think so. Thanks for catching me. I get really scared of heights and I guess by knees just sort of - gave out." She explained, he voice was very bright and cheerful despite the hint of nervousness.

Harry noticed that she was still gripping his arm tightly, as if she would fall if she loosened it even a bit. "How did you manage the first time? Didn't you take the bridge to get to the rides?" he asked with an amused look. The girl pouted slightly.

"My sister's were with me the first time."

Harry smirked at her pout, but then asked with a little concern. "Where are they now? -You know, I've been seeing you everywhere today, I haven't seen you with them at all, except for when you first got your tickets."

The girl looked at him with a little suspicion. "Where you _following_ me?" She asked with a half serious, half teasing tone.

"Huh? No! I mean, no. You kept turning up everywhere I went since this morning. Every time you would just disappear without a trace." He said defensively.

The girl smiled brightly. "Oh. Yeah. I think I remember seeing you a few times too!". Remembering his question she pouted slightly. "My sisters left me early on. I've been just exploring Castillo by myself all day".

Harry frowned slightly. "Where did they go?"

"My oldest sister, Emma. Met a boy from her school and left with him. She said she would meet us at the drop-off-zone tonight after the fireworks." She said with disdain.

"And you're other sister?" Harry prompted.

"Alexis? She bumped into a bunch of her friends and left towards the shopping district. She said to just keep my phone on me and meet her after the fireworks too."

Harry nodded in understanding. "That wasn't very nice of them. They shouldn't have left you all alone like that. But you know what the good news is?"

"What?" She asked curiously.

"We are almost off the bridge" He said with a wide grin. Sure enough when she looked forward, they were just a few feet from the end of the bridge. The two stepped off and to the side to allow people to pass. The girl let out a deep sigh of relief. Looking at him, she smiled brightly, "Thanks for distracting me. I forgot all about being scared."

"Are you still scared?" He asked. Shaking her head in the negative he continued. "Then do you feel like letting go of my arm?" he asked with an embarrassed, lopsided grin.

"Huh?". The girl looked confused for a moment before she realized she was holding on to his arm and hand still. With a startled squeak, she jumped away from him, placing her hands together behind her back. She stuttered. "S-sorry."

Harry laughed at the noise she had made as she jumped away. "It's okay. I'm - Um, glad I could help. Uh- Whats your name?".

The girl smiled a little embarrassedly. "Sarah. what's yours?".

"It's Harry". He said with a smile. "Uh, hey. I'm kind of out on my own today too. How about we explore Castillo together?".

Sarah's face lit up like the sun at the suggestion. "Really?! That would be great." She was practically bouncing with excitement, before she froze and looked at the bridge. "How about we go check out the shops for awhile?".

Harry grinned widely at her obvious nervousness. "Not ready for another ride on the bridge yet?"

Sarah huffed indignantly. "Don't make fun of me! I'm sure there are lots of things you're afraid of". Harry nodded in mock thought. "Your right." he grinned widely at her, "Like scared of little girls tearing me arm off". With that he took off towards the shopping district, Sarah on his heels. "Hey! I'm almost as tall as you are!", she called as she chased after him.

Harry was surprised at how well he and Sarah got along. Very quickly the two had become quite close as they wandered and explored Castillo together. Sarah was a very fun, cheerful girl who seemed to just exude happiness and spread it wherever she went. They talked allot while the explored. Harry learned that Sarah was 11- '_Almost twelve!'-_ he remembered her insisting. Her birthday was the day after his, and that she lived in an upper class section of London. Her father was a high-profile businessman who worked for Castillo. Her mom was a well known doctor, who had her own private practice. Sarah told him stories of her sisters. Her oldest sister, Emma was 16 and was very much a glamour girl. Her other sister, Alexis was 14, and was a very active dancer and the academic of their family. Sarah on the other hand, hadn't labeled herself to anything really. She did good in school, enjoyed sports and was overall a cheerful girl with a bubbly personality.

While in one of the clothing stores, Sarah had taken notice of Harry's appearance. She had asked Harry about why he wore such big clothes. When he had explained they were all he had. She insisted they go pick him out something better to wear at one of the stores. After a short trip into a few shops. She convinced him into buying a decent pair of dark blue slim fit jeans and an orange shirt with Castillo emblazoned across the chest . _"Now we match!" _she had clapped excitedly.

He had to admit. He felt much better in clothes that actually fit him. In fact, it felt great! Privately, he felt the invisible weight of the Dursley's abuse and even some of his insecurities wash away. It was amazing what a change of clothes can do for a person.

The two were walking out of a buffet (where Sarah had frightened Harry by the sheer amount of food she consumed) and were now headed towards the main pavilion to catch the fireworks show. It was just getting dark, but the sheer amount of lights around them made it bright as day.

As they entered the main pavilion they noticed a band was playing on the stage. They made their way over to the castle and saw a couple people entering through a small door built into the much taller wooden door.

Remembering his ticket, he grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled her along with him. "Come over here with me for a sec.". As they approached the door a man in the Castillo uniform greeted them. "Hello, son. Can I help you?"

Harry let go of Sarah's hand and nodded. "Yeah. I bought a Grand Opening ticket. Can I bring a guest with me into the castle?"

The man smiled. "Sure thing. Just show me your pass and you can go on in." After checking that the ticket was registered he added. "The firework show will start in about thirty minutes. May I recommend that you and your friend go to the astronomy tower to catch the show? Just follow the signs towards the right when you enter."

"Thanks! We will." Harry said excitedly. "Come on, let's go".

Castillo Castle was very large - small by Hogwarts standards- but still very big. The entrance hall had pristine white tile flooring and was decorated with tapestries of the Castillo colors and coat of arms. A large staircase led into the upper floors and separate wings. What stood out to Harry was all of the modern touches everywhere.

Panels and screens where everywhere, blended perfectly into the medieval architecture. Looking closely he saw that many of the portraits shifted, melted and twisted into entirely new works as people walked past. Off to one side, Harry saw a large arched door. Upon closer inspection Harry spotted another touch panel next to the door. Harry guessed it was an elevator of some sort. Sure enough the doors opened silently and two Castillo workers stepped out before the doors slid shut.

As they walked through the castle Sarah asked. "Did you read the story for this castle?"

Harry shrugged. "I saw it, but didn't stick around long enough to read the whole thing."

Sarah jumped excitedly and stopped in front of him. "Oh it's the best story ever! See that girl up there?" she said pointing to a large painting of a young girl. She looked to be in her teens, she was dressed in a very elegant dress and wore very simple jewelry. She looked everything like a princess would, except for her face that was dusty, as if she spent all her time outside and hadn't washed yet - and her hands that were calloused. Her golden hair hung straight and loosely to her shoulders as apposed to the other portraits of princesses he had seen whose hair was always done up in some fancy way. The girl had a slight pout, as if she would really rather not be in a dress posing for a painting. What stood out the most in the picture however was the massive blade that hung on the wall behind and above her. Harry couldn't tell if it was an axe or some kind of greatsword - all he knew was that it was big, as tall as the girl in the picture was and surely wider.

"That the princess of Castillo." Sarah explained. "In the story, The princess had two loves, her childhood crush, a young squire who aspired to become the royal guard.; and her blade. Her father, the king, disapproved of his daughter always practicing with her weapon and training with the squires. Try as he might to convince her to behave more like a princess, she would always return to the squires and her weapon. " Sarah smiled at this part, as if it was her favorite.

"Unfortunately, a witch had become jealous of her beauty and strength. Over time, her jealousy grew into obsession. One day, the witch kidnapped the princess' crush and sealed him into a large tree." Sarah pointed to another painting of an enormous tree in a forest with sunlight surrounding it. "The princess set out on a dangerous journey in search of the tree. After a long, tiring adventure, she finally found the tree. With a mighty cry she cleaved the tree in two with one swing of her blade. Her strike, fueled by her love for the knight, was so powerful that it broke the witch's powers and reduced her to ash. Unfortunately, the last strike caused her blade to break in two. No longer having her favorite weapon, the princess lived on to rule Castillo alongside her husband the knight. And they lived happily ever after!".

Harry listened attentively to the story has he looked at the paintings. "Wow. That's a really cool story. I should have taken the time to read more of them before going on the rides." Harry then looked over at Sarah with a smirk. "Would you happen to love this story so much because you are such a tomboy?"

Sarah glared at Harry, he cheeks puffing slightly. "Hey!".

Harry laughed at her indignant look. He really enjoyed teasing Sarah but she had proven to be just as good at it, so he opted not to push his luck.

Looking around he spotted a sign next to the staircase. "Let's head up to the astronomy tower, I think the fireworks are going to start soon."

The fireworks had been spectacular. They 'ooed' and 'ahhed' at the colorful explosions that lit up the night sky. Harry was astounded by what they were able to do with fireworks. Explosions formed into shapes of various animals and thundered in coordination with music that played down below.

All too soon, it was over, and the two friends were headed towards the main gate. They talked animatedly about all the things they saw and the things they hadn't gotten a chance to see yet. As they exited the main gate, they began to scan the area for Sarah's sisters.

"Over there!" Sarah called, pointing to the statue of the princess. Sitting of the base of the statue, were the two girls he had recognized from the ticket book earlier that day.

As they approached the older girl stood and rushed hurriedly up to them. "Oh my god, Sarah! Are you okay?! I'm so sorry I left you." She hugged Sarah tightly nearly lifting her into the air. Sarah had a surprised look on her face and hugged her sister back lightly patting her. "I'm okay Em. I've just been hanging out with Harry."

Letting go of her sister, she looked over at Harry. Gaining a surprised and oddly suspicious look she accused, "And I'm guessing you're Harry?"

The older girl seemed pretty upset, he answered nervously, "Y-yeah. I met Sarah earlier today on the bridge."

Emma's eyes widened in horror. "The bridge?! You went on the bridge alone?". Emma rounded on her other sister. "See Lexi? Did you even think of that before _YOU _left her on that side of the park?"

Lexi stood up and stomped. "Hey! this isn't just my fault! _YOU _left _BOTH _of us way before that!"

Harry could tell an argument was beginning to heat up between the two girl so he quickly interjected. "Hey, hey. Easy. Sarah's okay and we all had a good time today, right? There's no reason to fight." he said placating. Emma seemed to calm down a bit at hearing his point. However, Alexis rounded on him. "Who are you anyway? Aren't you a little old to be hanging out with our kid sister?" Before Harry could respond, Sarah jumped in, her cheeks puffing slightly in annoyance. "Hey! Stop acting like I'm six or something! I'm barely two years younger than you! Besides, You two are the same age!".

This is when Emma stepped between them. "Okay, okay. Let's just drop it. Harry is right. Sarah's okay, and we all ended up having a good time. So there's nothing to worry about". Turning to Harry who was nodding his agreement, she said. "Thanks for looking after our little sister. I'm glad she found a nice guy like you instead of some creep."

Harry laughed nervously. "Well, I wasn't babysitting her or anything. We're friends". Looking to Sarah he asked uncertainly, "Right?". Even now after how close they had become today, Harry still had trouble when it came to making new friends. However, when Sarah's face lit up and she nodded happily that seemed to melt away.

Alexis, who had apparently been texting their parents interrupted. "Mom and Dad are waiting on the other end of the Drop-off zone, we better hurry."

"Alright." Emma said. With a smile she addressed Harry. "Thanks again. See you." With a wink, she began walking towards the Drop-off zone. Sarah then stepped towards Harry.

"Um, I had allot of fun today." Sarah said a little sad. Harry nodded.

"I did too. This was one of the best days of my life." he said honestly.

Sarah stood there for a moment. She then lunged forward and hugged Harry tightly. Very quickly she kissed him lightly on the cheek before letting go and scurrying after Emma. "Bye!" Her voice sounded just as happy and cheerful as it had all day, but Harry could tell she was fighting tears.

As he watched her hurrying away, he noticed that Alexis had stopped walking for a moment. She seemed to be thinking hard about something. Realizing her sisters were leaving her behind, she sighed and gave Harry a small wave before running to catch up to her sisters.

He was sad to watch her go. After how close they had become, it was hard for him to accept that he probably never see Sarah again.

Harry knew he was going to be late when he approached the tram-cars. Looking around he sighed in relief, the Dursleys weren't there yet. He was going to sit down on one of the benches to wait, but he heard his uncle yelling a short distance away. Looking around he saw his uncle arguing with one of the Castillo workers. They were standing under one of the streetlamps and he could see an exhausted Aunt Petunia, as well as both Piers and Dudley wearing Castillo souvenirs.

After a short ride on the tram-car (which his aunt had fallen asleep on.) they were back in the car and headed home.

On the car ride home, Dudley asked in surprise. "Did you buy new clothes at Castillo?". Harry looked over at his cousin. He thought about telling him about the friend he had made and the fact that he was able to enter Castillo Castle. Deciding there wasn't any reason for him to mention Sarah he just said, "Yeah. I decided that I don't really care for your cast offs anymore. I'm going to start wearing clothes that actually fit." Harry had expected his uncle to blow his top after hearing him say something like that, but apparently he was too tired to listen to what they were saying. "Hey Piers. Did you guys go into Castillo Castle?".

Piers scowled. "No, It's not open to the public until next week, duh". Harry smirked. Looking nonchalantly out of his window he said, "Oh. Did you know if you bought a Grand Opening pass, you got to go in and explore it today?".

Dudley and Piers were both staring slack jawed at him. He answered their silent question with a smirk and a nod. The two boys immediately launched into an interrogation about what it was like. It was strange, for the rest of that night it was like their lifelong feud had been laid to rest. The three boys chatted and laughed about all the things they did at Castillo that day. It actually gave Harry hope that maybe someday he and Dudley could be friends.

Everyone at number four woke up late the next morning. Exhausted from the night before they all stayed indoors for the day. Harry, not wanting to push his luck with his relatives, stayed in his room for the rest of the night. The only breach of the quiet day was the appearance of the Weasley's owl, Errol colliding with his bedroom window. After making sure that the elderly owl was okay, he read the letter he had been carrying.

_Dear Harry,_

_HE DID IT! My dad got all of us tickets to the World Cup! Ireland vs. Bulgaria! We are going to be picking you up on Sunday next week and you'll be staying with us until school starts! Be packed and ready by 5pm. Hermione will be arriving on Saturday night - Ginny's been going on and on about how great it will be to have another girl in the house. Reckon she feels a bit outnumbered around here. Anyway see you on Sunday!_

_P.S. Can Errol stay with you for a couple days before you send him back? He's getting pretty old and needs a bit of rest before making the trip back. Stubborn old owl was starting to get offended that we've been send Pigwidgeon out so much recently. He practically attacked me when I went to send the letter._

_~Ron_

Harry chuckled at the thought of Errol becoming annoyed by Ron's new owl. Pigwidgeon was a tennis ball sized hyperactive owl. Still young, it was constantantly zooming around twittering like a maniac as it bounced around. Stroking a weary Errol's feathers he said. "You'll be staying with me for a few days alright? I'm sure Hedwig wouldn't mind the company."

Over in her cage Hedwig hooted in response and edged over, making room for Errol. With an exhausted hoot that sounded remarkably like a sigh of relief Errol fluttered into the cage and eagerly helped himself to some water and owl treats.

**A/N: At a little over 8k words, this chapter was a bit longer than I expected. Though this chapter was one that I have been really looking forward to writing. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. I would really like feedback on this chapter in particular so if you have time, drop your thoughts in a review or if you want to discuss send a PM!**


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